The invention concerns a network comprising an interconnecting network and several network nodes which are coupled to the interconnecting network and are each configured, before being integrated as an active network node, for adaptation of their local communication time schedule to the communication time schedules of at least one other network node.
A network of this type can be used in automotive vehicle technology and can be derived e.g. from the magazine “Elektronik”, No. 14, 1999, pages 36 through 43 (Dr. Stefan Polenda, Georg Kroiss: “TPP: “Drive by Wire” in greifbarer Nähe”), wherein the TTP protocol (TTP—time-triggered protocol) is used. This protocol permits reliable data transmission and can therefore also be used in networks for safety-relevant devices (e.g. brakes).
It is the underlying purpose of the invention to provide a network comprising an interconnecting network and several network nodes which are coupled to the interconnecting network, which permits synchronization of the network nodes after starting the network.